The obligatory warning on cigarette packages "The Surgeon General has determined that cigarette smoking is dangerous to your health" is a fully justified part of anti-smoking educational propaganda to enhance public awareness but its of limited success. Several of the approximately 500 smoke ingredients have proved to be definitely harmful. They often do not have an immediate effect but they represent a so-called chronic poisoning and becomes more or less injurious and even fatal if smoking of more than one pack is continued for 20 to 30 years. Inasmuch as the chances of getting cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory disease are multiplied for smokers in comparison to non-smokers, the strongly irritant effect on all mucous membranes is immediate and is observable in the majority of heavy smokers.
Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 2985549 (issued 1961) teaches the elimination of nicotine through a unique flavor saving gas reaction process. At that period of time, filter cigarettes come into use in which also the tars are decreased, while health authorities and the public became increasingly conscious of the hazard of lung cancer as demonstrated clearly by statistics on occurrence of this dreaded disease, although this menace occurs less frequently by than cardiovascular disease with its 800,000 yearly fatalities, which is generally perceived by the public as being more frightening and life-threatening.
Filters have an enormous drawback. They detract much from smoking enjoyment, because tar and nicotine are the essential carriers of flavor and taste and the lack of it as the result of filtration is counterproductive. Filtered smoke is often more like insipid steam. Smokers reacted unexpectedly to such loss. They smoke more but statistically consumption stayed constant and even increased. It appears to be difficult and sometimes impossible to wean people from smoking once they are used to it in spite of adverse enlightenment about medical facts. It has been suggested that this reaction probably has to do with "carried over" infantile sucking reflex. In fact, the cigarette has been called the "adult baby bottle." The human desire to smoke is so strong that a great many smokers will not give up or are most reluctant to quit smoking and the oral sensation it affords. It has been estimately recently from government sources that approximately 5 to 6 million dollars is being spent to develop a safer cigarette, because more than 50 million Americans are continuing to smoke.